Open Letter to ‪#‎FeesMustFall‬ students by Quintin Van Kerken

Dear ‪#‎FeesMustFall‬ students,

I’d like to say a few things. You won’t like what you hear, but then again, I don’t give a flying hoo-diddly what you think. This is my opinion, and according to the whole freedom of speech thing in South Africa, I can say this. You have your opinion, and you’re entitled to it, but here is an opinion from a middle aged guy with about 20 years more life experience than you.

I think your self entitlement is hilarious. You believe the world owes you because you are “previously disadvantaged”. Let me get this straight you bunch of tantrum throwing brats – if you were born after 1994 you have no right to say that.

You grew up with free healthcare, free education, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of political affiliation, and quite honestly a whole bunch of free s[###] and freedoms that we did not have.

You demand free education. Well, I demand you shut the f[###] up and actually learn something at university instead of burning pictures, demonstrating and demanding more free stuff.

You are the bad credit generation. You demand everything, want everything for free, but you aren’t willing to work for it or pay for it.

What is going to happen when you start looking for work after your cushy university years? Are you going to burn s, throw tantrums and loot because you can’t get a job?

Now once you have that degree, you are no longer disadvantaged. You can’t cry “poor me” if things don’t go your way.

I, along with many of my friends (black, coloured, indian and white in case you want to call me a racist) had to actually work to pay for our fees. I waited tables, washed dishes and packed groceries.

You are a bunch of ungrateful, disgusting, self entitled brats. You want to be taught in a language other than English or Afrikaans? Well then how the f[###] do you want to do business later on? I don’t think that an overseas client would put up with you demanding to speak vernacular. I believe they would simply go elsewhere.

You think that throwing a tantrum gets anything you want.

Well besides trashing the various campuses, what have you actually achieved? NOTHING.

Yip, fees are still there. You still have to pay for your studies.

You could maybe get it right, but truthfully speaking, how sustainable is free everything?

You demand the government must pay, well, where the hell do they get the money to do that? For those who aren’t too sure I’ll give you the answer – taxes.

That’s right. People like me. I work my ass off to provide for my family. I work 18 hour days so that I can give a chunk of my income to the government in taxes.

If I had to pay for my own education, there is no way I am going to pay for yours, you entitled little s[###]s.

Although I am no friend of apartheid or it’s laws, and a firm believer in our constitution, I think that the old regime got one thing right where the new one has failed.

The old regime allowed parents to give spoilt little brats with bad manners a hiding.

So in summation – the world owes you nothing. You want education? Work for it. Otherwise, shut the f[###] up. We’re tired of you.